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smudging

St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver has unveiled a space for smudging and pipe ceremonies so their Aboriginal patients can receive traditional healing. The All-Nations Sacred Space is an inclusive area designated for ceremonies where cedar, tobacco, sage, and sweetgrass are burned in an abalone shell and wafted with an eagle feather. The ceremonies are important to Vancouver-based artist Dalannah Gail Bowen, a woman who's spent time at the hospital for drug addiction and a stroke.

When we go out into the community we serve, we are able to meet our patients on their home turf. These visits bring clarity to the needs of the people we care for. We are reminded that, like the sisters before us with their commitment to practical charity and compassionate care, we are here to meet the needs of those who are vulnerable and marginalized.”